"The idea behind the Festa is to promote our ethnicity," said Nadine Nickolette, IAV auxiliary president.

"All nationalities have lost generations of their people. We're trying to bring some of it back to our people. We're trying to get more of our people to come to festa and participate in their Italian heritage," Nickolette said.

Admission to Festa Italiana is free and there will be live entertainment throughout the day for the event that runs from noon to 10 p.m. at the IAV, 4569 Oberlin Ave., Lorain

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The food available includes Italian sausage sandwiches with green peppers and onions, pasta e fagioli, Italian wedding soup, eggplant, cavatelli, stuffed shells and meatballs. The ladies auxiliary will provide a variety of baked goods from noon until it is sold out. Homemade cookies and desserts also will be for sale.

The Italian sausage drive-thru will be available from noon to 4 p.m.

Lorenzo's Pizza also will be cooking pizza on the premises in an outside oven and Italian wines and beer will be served outside. Coffee, soda pop and draft beer will be served on the inside.

The festa will have games and raffles, a display by the Alfa-Romeo Club of Italian cars from noon to 4 p.m. and a building center by Home Depot for young people from 1 to 5 p.m. There will be an Italian Cultural Display noon to 4 p.m.

Specialty items will be sold all day at the souvenir booth and include T-shirts, sweatshirts and aprons.